Crews continue search for missing man in Malletts Bay
Jul 04, 2024
COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) - The search continues for a man who went missing Wednesday morning in Lake Champlain.Colchester Police say search crews responded to the Malletts Bay boat launch around 9:45 a.m. after Cory Lavallee, 37, of Colchester, wasn’t able to make it back to his inflatable raft. Officials say he was swimming with his children and using the raft. They say one of his kids went into distress and Lavallee jumped in to help her back to the raft but he could not make it back on.Colchester Police Chief Peter Hull says conditions on the lake are rough. “We’re continuing to search. It’s a surface search with sonar. The wind is pretty heavy, so the lake is pretty heavy, so the lake is pretty rough. It’s hindering things a little bit. We’re continuing to search and will continue to search as long as the weather allows it and up until at least dark,” he said.The chief says the search has turned into a recovery effort, and it will resume Thursday morning.Hull also warns boaters if they are heading out on the lake to be mindful of potentially strong winds.